United States v. South Side Finance, Inc.

755 F. Supp. 791, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 841, 1991 WL 8851
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJanuary 29, 1991
Docket90 C 6203
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 755 F. Supp. 791 (United States v. South Side Finance, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. South Side Finance, Inc., 755 F. Supp. 791, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 841, 1991 WL 8851 (N.D. Ill. 1991).

Opinion

AMENDED MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

CONLON, District Judge.

In this civil forfeiture action, the government seeks forfeiture of the defendant property South Side Finance, Inc. (“South Side Finance”) and all of its assets, a condominium in Palos Hills, Illinois, and $107,-000 in United States currency, pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 881 and 18 U.S.C. § 981. Claimants Mohammed Bustami, Fakher Bustami, Mustafa Bustami, Kamal Busta-mi, and Zainab Bustami (collectively, “the claimants”) move to dismiss the complaint on several grounds.

BACKGROUND

According to the complaint, South Side Finance is a used car dealership located on Chicago’s south side. 1 Mustafa Bustami is South Side Finance’s sole stockholder. According to two government confidential informants, South Side Finance operates as a cocaine supplier. One of the informants reported to Kevin Moss, a special agent *794 with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), that on several occasions during 1988, he delivered cash in excess of $100,000 to Mustafa Bustami at South Side Finance in exchange for more than six kilograms of cocaine. Complaint 11 8; affidavit of Kevin Moss, attached as exhibit A to government’s first amended verified complaint (“Moss aff.”) ¶ 7. After giving the money to Mustafa Bustami, the informant received the cocaine from an individual driving a vehicle bearing dealer license plates. Moss aff. ¶ 8. On one occasion, the informant received cocaine directly from Musta-fa Bustami while in the South Side Finance office. Id.

According to both confidential informants, the cocaine dealers for whom they worked purchased cars from South Side Finance with cash. Complaint 11 9. Telephone records from June through August 1990 show four calls from South Side Finance to one of the cocaine dealer’s pager, and five additional calls to his residences. Id. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) agents established other contacts between South Side Finance and a cocaine supplier through two additional confidential informants. Id. at 1110. Telephone records from February through September 1990 evidence 80 calls from South Side Finance to this cocaine supplier’s pager, place of business, and residences. Moss aff. ¶ 12.

From August through October 1990, law enforcement agents conducted surveillance of Mustafa and Mohammed Bustami at South Side Finance and at other locations. According to the complaint,

The surveillance revealed a pattern of suspicious activity which includes meetings with convicted drug dealers, constant activity at the car lot with few cars being driven or sold, and the transporting of black canvas gym bags by Musta-fa and Mohammed Bustami to and from South Side Finance. Mustafa and Mohammed Bustami have been repeatedly seen carrying the black canvas gym bags between the office of South Side Finance and the trunks of cars which they are driving. The Bustamis then drive the cars containing the black canvas gym bags to several residences and other locations in the area.

Complaint ¶ 11.

On August 6, 1990, the Marquette National Bank alerted IRS agents to a series of financial transactions conducted by South Side Finance. Id. at ¶ 12. Bank records for 1989 and 1990 reveal 354 separate deposits of amounts between $9,000 and $9,999, just below the $10,000 limit needed before a Currency Transaction Report is required by law. In addition, numerous deposits just below the $10,000 limit were made on the same day at different branches of the same bank. Id.; Moss aff. ¶¶114-15. On October 22, 1990, three cash deposits made by South Side Finance to the Marquette National Bank were tested under controlled conditions by narcotics trained dogs. Complaint 1113. The dogs reacted positively to all three cash deposits, indicating the presence of narcotics residue or odor on the money. Id.

Finally, on October 25, 1990, a search warrant was executed at a condominium located in Palos Hills, Illinois. The warrant was based on surveillance establishing that the Bustamis transported black canvas gym bags between South Side Finance and the condominium. Id. at ¶ 16, Count IV. During the search, agents recovered three packages of United States currency, and “traces of a white powdered substance believed to be cocaine at various locations in the condominium.” Id. at ¶ 17.

DISCUSSION

On a motion to dismiss, the court is not required to accept the plaintiff’s legal conclusions. Capalbo v. PaineWebber, Inc., 694 F.Supp. 1315, 1318 (N.D.Ill.1988). Dismissal is proper if it appears beyond doubt that the government can prove no set of facts in support of its claim that would entitle it to the relief requested. Illinois Health Care Ass’n v. Illinois Dep’t of Public Health, 879 F.2d 286, 288 (7th Cir.1989), citing Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 101-02, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957). In addition, if the com *795 plaint fails to allege a necessary element required to obtain relief, dismissal is in order. R.J.R. Service, Inc. v. Aetna Cas. and Sur. Co., 895 F.2d 279, 281 (7th Cir.1989). The claimants have the burden of establishing the legal insufficiency of the complaint. Yeksigian v. Nappi, 900 F.2d 101, 104-05 (7th Cir.1990).

I. Adequacy of complaint

Ordinarily, the degree of specificity required of a civil complaint is governed by the liberal notice pleading standards of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Fed.R.Civ.P. 8; Strauss v. City of Chicago, 760 F.2d 765, 767 (7th Cir.1985). However, civil forfeiture complaints are in rem and are governed by 28 U.S.C., Supplemental Rules for Certain Admiralty and Maritime Claims (“Supplemental Rules”). 21 U.S.C. § 881(b). The Supplemental Rules are part of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Under Supplemental Rule E(2)(a),

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Bluebook (online)
755 F. Supp. 791, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 841, 1991 WL 8851, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-south-side-finance-inc-ilnd-1991.